Safety razor and stropping device



Nov. 1, 1932. A. v. WATSON 1,885,659

SAFETY RAZOR AND STROPPING DEVICE Filed April '7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Nov. 1, 1932. A. v. WATSON SAFETY RAZOR AND STROPPING DEVICE Filed April 7, 1928 2 sheets-sheer 2 I I 1", I...

"i 4 .n. n i F; J a 4?." i I P Patented Nov. 1, 1932 T.

Wires s'raras e aser-me ALEC VERNON we'rson, or sub. ALBANS, ENG AN AS$IGNOR or ONE-HALF To 1 Traci/iris ANDERSON DAVIS, or Lennon, GL ND I SAFETY nezon AND s'rnorrine DEVICE 1 Application filed April 7, 1928, Serial No. eeazae, and in Great Britain April 22, 1927.:

This invention of improvements in razor stropping devices is concerned with apparatus of the kind in which the razor. blade is supported in a holder with its edge entered into a bight in the strop, thesaidbight being formed by training the strop over a series 'of rollers mounted in the holder in ap-- propriate disposition. In apparatus of this kind, the holder is moved to and fro along 1 the strop and owing to a relative rocking motion automatically produced at the end of each stroke, the sides of the blade edge are stropped in alternation. An important object of this invention is to adapt apparatus of the kind referred to so that it is capable of receiving a safety razor device bodily and of supporting the saidrazor device in such accurate disposition that the edge of the blade thereon is correctly en- 2 tered into the bight in the strop.

Another object is to support the series ofrollers in a swingable cradle device suspend- Vice in Figure 7. 1

ed within the holder.

Another object is to provide means for looking the cradle in anon-swingable condition so that the cradle cannot move when the apparatus is not in use.

A further ob ect is to provide simple locking means for securing the razor in the correct disposition to which it is ad usted for stropping. Preferably, the cradle locking means and razor locking means are embodied in one single pivotal catch devicewhicli can be moved to one posit-ion for locking the cradle and to a reverse position for lOCklIlg the razor.

These and other objects will be fully de-. scribed with reference to drawings accompanying this specification and illustrating; one suitable example of construction, 111' which drawings a safety razor locked therein in position for stropping, the'device being assumed to be in movement along the strop in the direction left hand end of Figure 1 and with the strop omitted. Figure dis afragmentary View and similar to Figure 1 but showingthe cradle rocked to a reverse position for stropping the other side of the edge of the blade when'the device is in movement along the strop in the direc tion of the arrow which is the-reverse of that in Figure 1; b

Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 but it shows the cradle in a locked condition and the razor v only partiallyinserted- Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line VIVI of Figure 4:. s 7

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the blade eijifd of the safety-razor with the handle broken- 0 v Q Fi re 8 is a cross section on the line VITI-VIII of Figure 7. 1 v Figure 9 is an end elevation of the razor device in Figure 7'. f

Figure 10 is a plan view of the razor de--' The carriageor holder is a channel member comprising a base land side walls 2 and 3. Within the channel is a swingable cradle comprising side plates 4' and 5, three rollers 6, 7 and 8 in triangular or staggered disposition being rotatably mounted on spindles 9, 10 and 11 fixed by their ends in the; plates 4 and 5; The cradle is suspended from pivots 12 and Ben the walls 2 and 3. The rollers 7 and'8 are provided with flanges 7 O and respectively. A strop 14 is passed along the channel and trained about the rollers to form a bight into which the edge of the razor{ blade is to project. A hollow beador bridge member 15 extends across the channel near the rear end, and isformed in the middle with a "slot to receive a neck 17 formedion the razor handle 19 just within a terminal Figure l is a longitudinal sectional eleva tion of an improved stropping device with thread 20 and the plain portion of the handle" 19, there is formed a collar or'enlargement 23. Before screwing the handle into the blade 22, a clip device 21 is applied to the blade. The screw threaded end is passed through a perforation in the clip and screwed into the blade 22, and when tightly screwed home the collar 23 clamps the clip 21 between itself and the blade 22. As will be seen particularly from Figures 7 to 10, the clip device 21 is of sheet metal, the top part being flanged to fit and seat on the top of the blade and the lower part being shaped to form spring arms 24 and 25 extending to respective sides of the blade 22. The arms 24, 25 are formed at their ends with tangs or pips 26 and 27 projecting at right angles from the arms and these are for supporting the blade guard 28.

As seen in the drawings, the guard 28 is a U-shaped loop or bail having internal dimensions sufficiently large to enable it to swing past the edge of the blade from the position Figure 1 to the position Figure 4. The upper portions of the limbs of this guard are widened at 29 and 30, Figure 7 to overlap the sides of the blade 22, and such widened portions are provided with perforations'to enable the tangs or pips 26, 27 to pass through. The upper portions of the limbs are bent out ofthe plane ofthe loop 28, so

that when such upper portions are more or less flat against the blade 22, the loop portion is inclined away from the blade as seen in Figures 1, 5, 8 and 9. In assembling the parts, the clip 21 is engaged with the uard 28 by inserting the tangs or pips 26, 2 into the perforations of the widened portions 29, 30 and is then applied to the blade 22, the handle 19 being finally screwed into the blade to clamp the clip 21 as above described.

The clip 21 having been secured in position with accuracy owing to the disposition of its perforation on the screw 20 and to the seating of its flange on the top of the blade, it follows that the tangs or pips 26, 27 will A suspend the guard 28 so that its bottom transverse member is correctly disposed beneath the edge of the blade and the lower portions of its side limbsare clear of the blade. Moreover, the pressure of the spring arms 24, 25 i against the upper portions 29, 30 of the limbs keeps such portions flat against the blade 22 so that the loop port-ion of the guard is correctly disposed in relation to the edge of the blade'for affording the safety razor characteristics. It is to be' noted from Figures 8 and 9 thatthe tangs or pips 26, 27 normally extend a little over respective ends of the blade. The above described position of the parts, seen in Figures 8 and 9, is the normal position of the parts during a shaving operation. 1

The top flange of the clipf21 is formed with end extensions 31 and 32 which project 1 beyond the ends of the blade 22, as seen clearly in Figure 10, and these extensions are designed to come to rest and seat upon the inner end portions of the cradle pivots 12 and 13 as shown in Figure 6, when the razor is properly inserted into the channel carriage or holder. Such insertion is accomplished by holding the razor in a somewhat erect position, introducing the knob 18 into the seating 15 and the neck 17 into the slot 16, and then lowering the razor as about a pivot until the extensions 31 and 32 come to rest upon the inner ends of the pivots 12 and 13. When the end of the handle 19 has been engaged in the seating 15 and slot 16 as described, no appreciablemovement of the razor endwise of the carriage or holder is possible. Consequently, with appropriate dimensions for the parts, the extensions 31 and 32 are bound to seat themselves accurately on the pins 12 and 13.

It is advisable to lock the razor in the seated position in the holder and for this purpose a pivoted loop or bail-form of catch 33 is adopted. The catch is mounted on pivot pins 34 and 35 on the side walls 2 and 3, and its transverse or arch member is provided with spring fingers 40, 41 which press on the top flange of the clip 21 on the blade when the catch is moved about its pivots to the blade-locking position seen in Figures 1 and 4. The side limbs of the catch 33 are notched 'at 36 and 37, so that'when the catch 33 is moved about its pivots to a reverse position in which it unlocks the razor, the said notches engage with pins or projections 38, 39 on the cradle and lock the latter in a non-swingable position as seen'in Figure 5. Naturally, the cradle must be brought to the appropriate intermediate position for this latter locking to be effected. p

In operation, the cradle is locked by the catch 33 as just described. The knob 18 on the razor handle 19 is then engaged with the seating 15 and the razor is lowered to bring the extensions 31 and 32 on to the pins 12 and 13, as already explained. Figure 5 shows the razor just before it arrives at this positlon of rest. In view of the dimensions adopted ly and without possibility of damage. The

catch 33 is now moved about its pivots to the position seen in Figures 1, 4 and 6 so as to prevent the extensions 31, 32, from rising from their seating on the pins 12 and. 13. As the top bent over portion of the bead 15 prevents the knob 18 from rising and as endwise movement of the razor is prevented by the engagement of the neck 17 in the slot 16, it will be seen that the razor is fixedly held on a three point support in very accurate disposition in relation to the stropping bight. The razor is conveniently stored in this condition in the holder when notin use.

. for the guard 28 to position.

When the razor'is to be stropped, and assuming it to have been inserted and'locked fixed object, the other end is held to pull the strop taut, and the carriage or holder is reciprocated along the strop. Assume the first stroke imparted to the carriage or'holder to be in the direction of the arrow Figure 1,

- the pull of the strop will cause the cradle to 1.! blade, thereby stressing the spring arms rock rightwardly to the position shown, so that the left hand side of the edge of the blade is engaged and rubbed by that por tion of thestrop at the top left hand portion of the bight. The favourable angle at which the strop impinges against the edge is to be noted. Duringthis strolre of the carriage, the guard 28 retains its normal position in relation to the blade 22, the reasonbeing that the left hand side of the edge of the blade is normally exposed and is free to be wiped or rubbed by the strop. -When this stroke of the carriage is finished, the movement is reversed so that the carriage then moves in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4. The reverse pull of the stropcauses the cradle to rock leftwardly to the position in Figure 4, so that the top right hand portion of the bight will rub against the right hand side of the edge of the blade. Now, the guard 28 would normally prevent contact of the strop with this side of the edge but owing to the method of supporting the guard 28, the latter is free to be pushed by the flanges of the 5 roller 8 past the blade 22, as shown in Figure 4, so as not to obstruct contact of the strop with the blade. As will be apparent by comparing Figures 1, 4, 8 and 9, the guard 28 when so pushed by the flanges 8O executes i a rocking movement about a fulcrum which may be said to be provided by the shoulders at the lower ends of the widened portions 29, 30. During this rocking movement of the guard 28, the tangs or pips, 26, 27 remain in engagement and preserve the appropriate disposition of the guard. As the lower or loop portion of the guard moves past the edge of the blade, the upper portions of the lnnbs move outwards from the thlck port1on of the 4 "J 25. Thus when the movement of the car 7 rlage 1s agaln reversed so that the cradle is returned to the position seen in Figure 1, the spring arms 24-, 25, w1ll return the guard 28 to its normal position. The amplitude of is it possible, by reasonable effort, to shift the guard to such an extent as dangerously to rocking movement of the guard 28 against the resistance of the spring arms 2%, 25 is relatively small so that in no circumstances expose the edge of the blade. anus, during shaving, for example, it is quite impossible rock or tilt to an unsafe The construction described is capable of various modifications and refinementswithout departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed I claim: 7

1. Safety razor stropping device operative for stropping a blade fixed in a safety razor,

device, comprising a strop, an elongated carriage adapted for reciprocation overthe strop, a cradle swingably mounted within said carriage andcomprising a plurality of anti-friction rollers so disposed. as to form a bi ght' in the strop trained over said rollers, supports within said carriage adapted for supporting and positioning the safety razor device with the edge of the blade entering the open mouth of the bight, and a movable catch adjustable from one operative position in which it engages the cradle to prevent swinging thereof to another operative position in which it locks the razor on its supports within the carriage substantially as set forth.

2. Safety razor stropping device, comprising a strop, an elongated carriage of channel section, a cradle swingably suspended from the walls of the channel section and comprising a plurality of anti-friction rollers so disposed as to form a bight in the strop trained over said rollers and passed longitudinally through said carriage, inwardly directed studs on the walls of said channel said studs being adapted for engaging and supporting lateral projections of the blade clip of said razor and being disposed so that the blade depends with its edge entering the =open mouth of the bight, a bridge device spanning the channel section at a point distant from said cradle said bridge device being adapted for engaging with and supporting the end of the handle of the razor device and thereby determining the position of said lateral projections over the side studs, and securing means operative for retaining the lateral pro jections upon said studs substantially as set forth. I Y

Safety razor stropping device, comprising a strop, an elongated carriage of channel section, a cradle swingably suspended from the walls of the channel section and com prising a plurality of anti-friction rollers so disposed as to form abight in the strop trained over said rollers and passed longitudinally through said carriage, inwardly directed studs on the walls of said channel said studs being adapted for engaging and supporting lateral projections of the blade cli of said razor and being disposedso that the llade depends with its edge entering the. open mouth of the bight, a bridge device spanning the ohannelsection at a point distant from said ed in its operative position to have resilient engagement with the razor clip in the direction for keeping the latter down upon the side studs substantially as set forth.

4. Safety razor stropping device, comprising a strop, an elongatedcarriage of chan nel section, a cradle swingably suspended from the walls of the channel section and comprising a plurality of anti-friction rollers so disposed as to form a bight in the strop trained over said rollers and passed longitudinally through said carriage, inwardly directed studs on the walls of said channel said studs being adapted for engaging and supporting lateral projectionsof the blade clip of said razor and being disposed so that the blade depends with its edge entering the open mouth of the bight, a bridge device spanning the channel section and formed midway in the span with a slotted seating adapted for engaging with a neck formation in the end of a razor handle and thereby ensuring fixity of position both laterally and longitudinally of said razor handle while also determining the position of the lateral projections of the blade clip over the side studs, and securing means operative for retaining the lateral project-ions upon the studs substantially as set forth.

5. A safety razor stropping device operative for stropping a blade fixed in a safety razor device, comprising a strop, an elongated carriage adapted for reciprocation along the strop, a swingably suspended cradle in the carriage comprising revoluble rollers in angular disposition adapted for forming a rockable bight in said strop, pivot devices in said carriage disposed opposite the mount of said bight and swingably suspending said cradle, and distributed supports in said carriage for said safety razor device said supports being adapted for fixedly determining the position of the razor longitudinally of the carriage and with the razor blade in the rockable bight of the strep.

6. A safety razor stropping device operative for stropping a blade fixed together'with a blade clip in a safety razor device, comprising a strop, an elongated carriage adapted for reciprocation along the strop, side projections in-said carriage adapted for being engaged by the blade clip of the safety razor, a support distant from said projections and adapted for engaging and supporting the handle of the safety razor to determine the fixed position of such razor longitudinallyof the carriage, a cradle, pivots in said carriage to swingably suspend said cradle, and revoluble rollers in angular disposition in, said cradle to form a rockable bight in said strep 0perative upon the razor; blade positioned within said bight.

7 A safety razor stropping device opera tive for stropping a blade fixed in a'safety razor device, comprising a strep, an elongated carriage adapted for reciprocation, along said strop,

pivots inwardly projecting from side walls of said carriage, a cradle swingably suspended from said pivots and com 8. A safety razor stropping device operative for stropping a blade fixed in a safety razor device,-comprising a strop, an elongated carriage adapted for reciprocation along said strop, pivots in said carriage, a cradle swingably suspended on said pivots and comprising means in said cradle to guide the strop therethrough in the form of a rockable bight, supports within said carriage adapted for fixedly supporting and positioning the safety razor device with the edge of the blade enter- I ing the mouth of the bight, and releasable holding means operative for restraining swinging of the said cradle during the time that the stropping device is not required to operate.

ALEC VERNON WATSON.

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